The following is by no means a thorough and complete jazz dance history.

This information has been simplified to give the dance student who is new
to jazz dance history an overview. Students are encouraged to look further
into the styles and prominent figures mentioned here for their own
educational enrichment. For a complete and detailed jazz dance history, as
well as jazz dance technique lessons , and all other basics a jazz dance
student needs to know, look for the book Jump Into Jazz , Fifth Edition,
2005, by Minda Goodman Kraines and Esther Pryor, published by McGraw
Hill.

The varieties of jazz dance reflect the diversity of American culture. Jazz dance
mirrors the social history of the American people, reflecting ethnic influences,
historic events, and cultural changes. Jazz dance has been greatly influenced by
social dance and popular music. But, like so much that is from America, the
history of jazz dance begins somewhere else.
The origins of jazz music and dance are found in the rhythms and movements
brought to America by African slaves. The style of African dance is earthy; low,
knees bent, pulsating body movements emphasized by body isolations and handclapping. As slaves forced into America, starting during the 1600s, Africans from
many cultures were cut off from their families, languages and tribal traditions. The
result was an intermingling of African cultures that created a new culture with both
African and European elements. The Slave Act of 1740 prohibited slaves from
playing African drums or performing African dances, but that did not suppress their
desire to cling to those parts of their cultural identity. The rhythms and movements
of African dance: the foot stamping and tapping, hand-clapping and rhythmic vocal
sounds were woven into what we now call jazz dance.
In the 19th century, American whites decided that they enjoyed the music and dance
the slaves had created. In minstrel shows, white entertainers parodied their
conception of slave life and popularized the African style of dance and music. With
white dancers as the star performers of the minstrel and vaudeville show, it was
difficult for a black dancer to gain stature as part of a dance troupe. Because of this,
many black performers migrated to Europe, where they introduced the newly
emerging forms of jazz music and jazz dance. In Europe, these talented and
innovative performers were more well-received than in America. The minstrel show
evolved and was eventually absorbed into the 20 th century musical comedy.
Through the end of the 1920s, Dixieland jazz music, with its fast ragtime beat,
spread from New Orleans to Chicago and New York. The growth of jazz dance was
directly influenced by this musical genre. In 1923, the Charleston was introduced
and Americans were quick to adopt it. In the Charleston, dancers used body

isolations for the first time in a social dance, and the hand-clapping and footstamping that it incorporated were a direct link to the dances African origin.
This was also the era of Bill Bojangles Robinson, a black tap dancer who achieved
world fame through the clean and clear percussive rhythms of his feet. The early
forms of tap dance evolved from the Irish jig, which incorporated limited upper body
movements. As the movements of the tap dance became more flexible, the
lightness of Robinsons style influenced the future of tap dance by changing the
placement of the tap steps from the full foot to the ball of the foot. Bill Robinson was
seen performing on Broadway, in Hollywood films, and in shows that toured the
country.
During the Depression of the 1930s, people escaped into dance competitions in
hopes of winning a cash prize. The sound of jazz music started to change due to the
symphonic jazz of Paul Whiteman. He brought full orchestration to his music and
made syncopation a part of every song he played. (Syncopation places the accent
or emphasis on normally unaccented beats of music. It adds to the surprise and
spontanaiety of jazz dance.) The music of the black American bands of Duke
Ellington and Louis Armstrong gave birth to swing music. The Swing Era also
termed the Big Band Era, generated well-known dances such as the Lindy Hop
and the Boogie Woogie.
During the 1920s, Fred Astaire had been a vital part of Broadway, but in 1933 when
musicals found their fame in Hollywood, he became the leading man for movie
musicals. Astaire created a unique dance style that brought elegance to the
dancers image. He blended the flowing steps of ballet with the abruptness of jazz
movements and was the first dancer at that time to dance every musical note so
that the rhythmic pattern of the music was mirrored in the dance steps.
Just when social dancing was at its height, World War 2 put a stop to its popularity.
Lack of attendance, plus the intricate rhythmic patterns of modern jazz music,
which were too complex for social dancing, led to the closing of dance halls and
ballrooms. With the demise of social dance, the growth of jazz dance as a
professional dance form began. During the 1940s, jazz dance was influenced by
ballet and modern dance. By blending the classical technique of ballet with the
natural bodily expression of modern dance, jazz developed a sophisticated artistic
quality. Unlike early jazz dance, which was performed by talented entertainers
without formal training, modern jazz dance was performed by professionals trained
in ballet and modern dance.
It was during this time that man who later came to be known as the Father of
Theatrical Jazz Dance, Jack Cole, was busy developing his technique. Jack Cole had
studied modern, ballet, and ethnic dance, had been a student at Denishawn and
had done choreographic work in the nightclub scene. In the 1940s there was a
serious demand for groups of trained dancers for film work and Jack Cole was the

one who started developing these trained jazz dancers for the Hollywood movie
musicals. Also, during this time Gene Kelly, began making his mark as a dancer in
Hollywood musicals. His impact on jazz was his individual, energetic dance style
that combined athletic, gymnastic qualities with jazz and tap.
During the 1950s, Rock and Roll music, which had been played by black musicians
for many years already at this point, became popular with teenage audiences and
thus new kinds of social dances were created to go with this type of music. During
this decade, the influence of Latin American music and dance enriched jazz dance
as was seen in the landmark Broadway production of West Side Story,
choreographed by Jerome Robbins . It was also during this time that Matt Mattox,
who had been a dancer of the Jack Cole style in many Hollywood musicals, began to
develop his own teaching and performing style. He was another dancer who had
studied ballet, modern, and tap and then found his love of jazz in his late 20s. Matt
Mattox went on to teach dance in New York for many years before moving to Europe
in the 1970s and developing his school and style based on what he calls Freestyle
although many people still label him as a jazz dance teacher and choreographer.
With the 1960s came the twist, as easy to perform, overnight craze which brought
adults back to the social dance floor. At this point, Motown was the new hot musical
craze. It came out of Detroit and the groups featured choreographed routines
mostly done by Charles Cholly Atkins. This idea of the lead singer being
spotlighted in front while the back up singers performed choreographed moves, was
new and is credited to Mr. Atkins, who was brought in to Motown to work with these
groups and give them a uniform look onstage. His work can be seen on Motown
groups such as The Supremes, Smoky Robinson and the Miracles, and The
Temptations. On the dance floor in the clubs, just as we do today, people copied
those dance steps they saw the singers doing, which in turn popularized that style
of dance. It carried through the 70s, 80s, and 90s in groups like En Vogue, The
Jacksons, The Backstreet Boys, NSync, and is still strong today in all the vocal stage
choreography you see where a singer has backup dancers.
During the 1960s, two other names emerged among the ranks of professional jazz
dance greats: Luigi and Gus Giordano. Luigi developed his technique as a result of
an auto accident that left him paralyzed on the right side. Doctors claimed he would
never walk, let alone dance again, but he persisted through operations, physical
therapy, and his own study of body development based on dance exercise, and
eventually was able to not only walk again, but to dance and to teach. The
technique he developed is influenced by ballet and is very lyrical. His technique
requires that the body be exercised to its fullest to develop the strength necessary
for muscle control, yet still look beautiful. Gus Giordanos style is classical but
greatly influenced by the natural and freer body movements of modern dance. His
technique teaches isolation movements, emphasizing the head and torso and
creating an uplifted look of elegance. Yoga is incorporated into Giordanos technique
as a means of relaxation.

In the 1970s Bob Fosse became the outstanding name is jazz dance. He performed
on Broadway and in films, but his true success was as a choreographer. His work
includes the films All That Jazz and Sweet Charity, the Broadway hit Dancin, and the
television special Liza With a Z, among many other famous works. He
choreographed a reproduction of Chicago in 1975. Fosses style was distinct; it was
highly creative and often included bizarre movements; it was slick, erotic and
intense. He was a one man jazz phenomenon whose style continued to make its
mark on the Broadway stage and in Hollywood throughout the 1980s.
The 1970s also saw the huge impact of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, which
boosted the image of the male dancer; of Michael Bennetts production of A Chorus
Line; and the notable jazz production of Grease. But another major influence on jazz
dance came not from a person, but from an area. Out of the ghetto neighborhoods
of New York City came the dance phenomenon called breakdancing.
Breakdancing is an umbrella term for all forms of modern street dance: breaking
(specific moves done on or close to the floor); freestyle (gymnastic moves and
partner lifts); electric boogie (flowing movements that enter one part of the body
and exit another); popping (any staccato movement); Egyptian (an imitation of
Egyptian style art); and floating (steps such as the moonwalk, in which the feet
seem to float across the floor). These dance styles can be traced to the West African
cultures of Mali, Gambia, and Senegal. In the late 1960s, many West African dancers
came to America and settled in the South Bronx. Breakdancing emerged not as an
entertainment form, but as a competition, as a means of attaining superiority in
street corner fraternities; it was an alternative to gang warfare. In the 1980s,
breakdancing exploded out of the ghettos and into mainstream American dance
culture. In this same period of time, jazz dance further expanded its horizons when
it combined with physical fitness classes to make exercise more fun and sociable.
The result was a new hybrid; aerobic dance classes.
The most prominent name in the 1980s musical theatre was Andrew Lloyd Webber,
who is acclaimed for shifting the focus of the Broadway musical from America to the
London stage. His musical hits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom of the
Opera, and the hottest musical of the 1980s, Cats, with choreography by Gillian
Lynne. Jazz dance in the 1980s received a tremendous boost from prominent
movies of the decade: Fame, Flashdance, Footloose, Staying Alive, Breaking and
Dirty Dancing. Attendance in jazz dance classes skyrocketed with students eager to
conquer this exciting dance form. American businesses noticed the large audience
appeal of jazz dance and moved in quickly to capitalize on the craze. As never
before, jazz dance appeared in television commercials for Panasonic, Coca-Cola, and
many fast food chains.
The 1980s also saw the introduction of MTV a new medium for dance and
professional dancers. When MTV began broadcasting in 1981, music videos
combined high-energy jazz, ballet, street dance and social dance in striking and

innovative ways. Some major choreographers of the period were Michael Peters,
Jeffrey Hornaday, Lester Wilson, Toni Basil, Paula Abdul, Madonna, and Janet
Jackson. The supreme video star of the 1980s was of course, Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson made a major impact on the direction of jazz dance with his
creative dance steps, his videos, his presentation and his choreography, most of
which was done by Michael Peters, or by Jackson and Peters as a team.
Two other names to add to the list of professional instructors who have influenced
the development of jazz dance are Frank Hatchett and Joe Tremaine. Entertainers,
students, and dance teachers from all over the world come to study with Frank
Hatchett. Frank continuously tours the country giving master classes, and making
special guest appearances. In addition, Frank is one of the featured master teachers
for the annual Jazz Dance World Congress. The Frank Hatchett style is a blend of
strength, funk, and individual interpretation, with an emphasis on selling your
performance. Associated exclusively to Frank Hatchett, his unique energy and spirit
have come to be called VOP. Joe Tremaine started studying in New York in the 1960s
and later appeared in many television specials and variety shows. His teaching style
is comparable to his style on the dance floor; up to the minute, fast, flashy, and
funky. The variety of techniques he brought from New York are also a part of his
unique style which many refer to as West Coast Jazz or L.A. Jazz. This style is
driven by current musical trends, is rhythmic and jazzy. He has channeled his
enthusiasm for dance in another direction as well; his own dance conventions and
competitions.
In the 1990s jazz dance world, the buzz words in training centers were street
dancing, street funk, and hip hop. Street dance is inner city dance taken directly
from the street corners with performers using boom boxes as their
accompaniment. The Fly Girls dancers featured on the early 1990s hit show In
Living Color, gave many primetime viewers their first look at street dance.
Choreographer Rosie Perez is credited with developing this style of jazz which mixed
street moves with technical ballet and jazz moves. Street dancing may be
considered an umbrella dance term that encompasses funk, popping, breakdancing,
and hip hop. Hip hop dance is done to hip hop music. The dance style uses the
whole body including complex footwork, body isolations, breakdancing and
gymnastic moves. Hip hop is a style of clothing, attitude, dance and music.
Jazz dance in the new century continues to both look back to the classics for
inspiration and move forward to create new dance performances. In film, jazz
dance, hip hop and ballet fused in the box office success Center Stage. In some
ways, Center Stage is reminiscent of Flashdance in storyline and also in that dance
was given a tremendous boost and dancers yet again realized the importance of
training in wide varieties of dance styles. The current jazz dance performance world
has sought a wider variety of performance platforms, including cabaret and lounge
shows, cruise ship entertainment, and touring dance companies. Concert shows
with musical superstars feature dancers as an integral part of their concert

entertainment. Jazz dance, and in particular musical comedy, has become a primary
theme park entertainment. Music videos, major television productions, such as
award presentation galas, and industrials (promotional business shows) still
prominently use jazz dance. The history of jazz dance has evolved in pace with the
music and moods of each decade. African American culture has been a huge
influence on the development of jazz dance. For example, the Charleston, Lindy
Hop, Jitterbug, Swim, Watusi, Breakdancing, and Hip Hop all grew out of the fullbodied, free- spirited music and dance heritage of African American culture. Today
jazz dance is recognized as a uniquely American contribution to dance art.

Afterthought..
There is a contradiction today between the high level of technical training received
in class and the apparent abandonment of technique in some current choreography.
For example, hip hop is a popular style of dancing in music videos. It is very aerobic,
but not technical in the historical dance sense. Consequently, the rigorous and
specialized training of the traditional jazz dance class may seem unnecessary and
irrelevant to the young dancer is used to seeing street dancing in so many music
videos.
Dont Be Fooled.
The flexibility needed for professional dance, including Hip Hop, can only be
developed systematically and thoughtfully; stamina and the ability to bear weight
on many body parts take intensive strength training, and sufficient coordination is
needed for the complexities of choreography. Though its not evident in every step,
conscientious and directed training is necessary to safely achieve the physical
prowess, athleticism, and precision necessary for all types of jazz dance.